I went back to the Ichijou estate just long enough to change into a dark tracksuit and grab a solid steel pipe from the groundskeeper's shed.
Standing in the shadows of the estate walls, I pulled up my system panel. After the relentless weekend grind with Karla and my late-night hunting, my efforts had compounded perfectly. I had pushed my physical vessel to the absolute peak of a normal human. Now, it was time to build the engine.
[Current EP: 38.5]
I didn't hesitate. I needed to bridge the gap between myself and the supernatural world.
System. Upgrade Spirituality to Level 6.
[Attribute Upgrade Confirmed.]
[Spirituality: 5 ➔ 6]
[Host Classification Updated: Rank E]
[Cost: 25.0 EP. Remaining EP: 13.5]
[UNLOCKED: Cursed Energy Manifestation (Basic)]
The sensation was instantaneous and violently jarring. A freezing, pressurized weight ignited in the pit of my stomach—the "gut" where Cursed Energy was forged. It felt like a dormant, heavy engine had finally sparked to life, flooding my veins with a dark, electric adrenaline.
With a sharp exhale, I pulled that cold weight from my stomach, channeling it down my arm.
*Vrummm.*
A faint, flickering shroud of blue-black aura coated my knuckles. It was unstable and hungry, rapidly draining my stamina to maintain, but it was real. I let the aura fade, opening my eyes to look at the street ahead.
Everything had changed.
Without Cursed Energy, my previous hunts had been incredibly inefficient, relying purely on my mundane *Perception* to blindly wander the city. But now? I could see the residual footprints of curses—ugly, smeary stains of negative energy clinging to the pavement and alley walls. I didn't have to hope I got lucky anymore. I could track them like a predator.
I gripped my steel pipe and slipped into the city.
From 8:00 PM to 11:30 PM, I turned the dark corners of the district into my personal crucible. Because I had officially crossed the threshold into Rank E, my Rank-Difference Multiplier against Low Grade 4 curses had dropped to 1.0x. The massive EP payouts were gone, but my efficiency had skyrocketed.
I hit an abandoned construction site first, following a trail of residual energy directly to a dog-like curse scavenging near a dumpster. I coated the steel pipe in a thin layer of Cursed Energy, reinforcing the metal so it wouldn't bend on impact.
*Crunch.* I drove the pipe cleanly through its skull, using Karla's evasive footwork to pivot away as it exploded into ash.
[+2.0 EP]
*Snap.*
I tracked a lunging crawler into a damp train underpass, slipping its attack entirely before bringing the pipe down directly on its spine.
[+2.0 EP]
It was a frantic, brutal three and a half hours, but it was calculated. My Level 5 physical stats kept my muscles from tearing apart, and my newly awakened Cursed Energy allowed me to actually damage the monsters without shattering my bones from the recoil.
By midnight, I finished off a Peak Grade 4 that had nested under a flickering streetlamp. It put up a fight, leaving a shallow cut across my cheek, but a Cursed Energy-infused strike to its joints brought it down.
[+5.0 EP]
I collapsed against a brick wall in the alleyway, sliding down to the damp pavement. My chest heaved violently. My tracksuit was stained with sweat and dirt, and the steel pipe was finally starting to warp from the sheer kinetic force of the night.
[Current EP: 51.0]
I wiped the blood from my cheek, letting out a ragged, exhausted laugh. It was midnight. I had a solid reservoir of points, but my weapon was ruined. Swinging mundane steel pipes coated in basic Cursed Energy was just burning through my stamina and destroying the metal.
I needed something better.
I opened the system interface, navigating to the golden tab I hadn't touched since my very first day.
[Gacha]
[Standard Pull (10 EP)]
[Elite Pull (50 EP)]
[Heavenly Pull (250 EP)]
'System. Initiate one Standard Pull..'
[Deducting 10.0 EP...]
[Remaining EP: 41]
The system panel fractured into a brilliant, spinning wheel of golden light. It spun rapidly in the dark alleyway, illuminating the brick walls before shattering into a shower of blue sparks. A small, physical object materialized in the air and dropped heavily into my waiting hands.
[Gacha Result: Grade 4 Cursed Tool - 'Trench Knife']
[Description: A high-carbon steel combat knife with a reinforced knuckle-duster grip. Pre-imbued with a minor amount of cursed energy, allowing it to easily slice through Rank E and Rank F curses without degrading.]
I stared at the weapon. The blade was matte black, about seven inches long, and the knuckle-duster grip fit perfectly into my bruised fingers. It was light, deadly, and perfectly suited for the close-quarters evasive combat Karla had drilled into me.
Armed with a real weapon, I pulled up my skill tree. I needed to upgrade my arsenal. But as I looked at the prices, my eyes widened in shock.
[Skill Upgrade Costs:]
[Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic ➔ Intermediate)] - Cost: 10 EP
[Cursed Energy Manipulation (Basic ➔ Intermediate)] - Cost: 50 EP
The discrepancy was massive. I stared at the floating blue numbers, realizing the harsh reality of the system's scaling.
'Hand-to-Hand Combat' was a mundane skill compared to 'Cursed Energy Manipulation'.
'Cursed Energy Manipulation', however, was a supernatural, high-tier jujutsu art. It was effectively magic. Pushing a sorcery skill from Basic to Intermediate didn't just require muscle memory; it required expanding the "engine" in my gut and rewiring my spiritual pathways. The system charged a massive premium for supernatural shortcuts.
I currently had 31.0 EP.
If I wanted my Cursed Energy flow to feel like second nature instead of trying to push thick syrup through a straw, I needed that Intermediate upgrade.
I was exactly 19 points short.
I looked down at the Grade 4 Trench Knife in my hand. The blade seemed to hum faintly with dark energy.
I stood up, rolling my shoulders. I wasn't going home yet. I became a terror in the back alleys of the district.
The difference between fighting with a steel pipe and a genuine Cursed Tool was staggering.
When I found a pair of Low Grade 4 curses stalking a stray cat, I didn't have to engage in a drawn-out slugfest. I slipped under their lunging claws, drove the trench knife cleanly through their dense, purple flesh, and watched them evaporate instantly.
The blade didn't warp. It sliced through them like hot butter.
I tracked residual energy footprints with ruthless efficiency, clearing out three more nests of Rank E curses.
*Slash. Pivot. Stab.*
My movements were crisp, utilizing footwork to completely avoid damage while letting the Cursed Tool do the lethal work.
Finally, as I pulled the blade out of the skull of a Peak Grade 4 curse in a damp construction site, watching it dissolve into black ash, the final numbers ticked over.
[Entity Eliminated: Peak 4th Grade Curse]
[Reward: +5.0 EP]
[Current EP: 65.0]
I wiped a streak of black curse blood off my cheek, my breathing heavy but controlled. I sheathed the trench knife in my pocket and opened the system menu one last time.
'System. Upgrade Cursed Energy Manipulation and Hand-to-Hand Combat to Intermediate'
[Skill Upgrade Confirmed.]
[Cursed Energy Manipulation: Basic ➔ Intermediate]
[Hand to Hand Combat: Basic -> Intermediate]
[Cost: 65.0 EP. Remaining EP: 5.0]
The change wasn't physical; it was entirely spiritual.
First, the awkward hesitation in my body completely disappeared. I wasn't just a tough beginner guessing my next move anymore. My footwork locked in automatically. I knew exactly how to throw a real punch using my entire body weight, and how to turn a quick dodge into a clean counterattack. I felt like a seasoned street fighter—no wasted movements, just practical, effective combat skills.
Then came the Cursed Energy.
This change was amazing. Before, pulling the energy from my gut to my hands felt like trying to push thick syrup through a straw—it took intense focus and left me exhausted. Now? It was as easy as flipping a switch.
With a simple thought, a dark, violet aura instantly flared to life, easily coating both my hands and my trench knife. The energy was no longer heavy or hard to control. It felt light, stable, and moved as naturally as flexing my own fingers.
I let the aura fade, slipping the knife into my pocket as a deeply satisfied smile pulled at the corners of my bruised mouth.
I was almost completely drained of points, around and began the long walk back to the Ichijou estate.